The chassis was designed by Jan Monchaux, Luca Furbatto, Lucia Conconi, Alessandro Cinelli, and Nicolas Hennel. The car utilized a customer Ferrari powertrain and gearbox. It retained the distinctive red and white livery from the previous season.
The C39 was initially planned to debut at the 2020 Australian Grand Prix, but this was delayed due to the cancellation of that race and the postponement of subsequent events in Bahrain, Vietnam, and China in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The car ultimately made its competitive debut at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.
At the Austrian Grand Prix, Räikkönen retired after his right front tire came off, while Giovinazzi finished 9th, scoring two points for Alfa Romeo. At the Styrian Grand Prix, Räikkönen finished 11th and Giovinazzi 14th, both a lap down. During the Hungarian Grand Prix, Räikkönen received a five-second penalty for being out of position at the start, and both cars finished last after qualifying on the back row.
Despite starting the season at the back of the grid, the C39 gradually improved. Räikkönen achieved a 12th-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix, ahead of both works Ferraris. However, the car was consistently hampered by a lack of power from its Ferrari engine, similar to the Ferrari SF1000 and the Haas VF-20. This power disadvantage made it difficult to compete with other midfield teams, particularly on power-dependent circuits, often placing it at the rear of the field alongside Haas and Williams. The team slipped to eighth in the Constructors' Championship standings for the season.
Kimi Räikkönen provided valuable technical feedback due to his extensive experience, guiding the team's development priorities and demonstrating an ability to manage tires and collect precise data. Antonio Giovinazzi showed clear improvement over the 2020 season, demonstrating greater consistency and a sharper understanding of the C39's characteristics.
Prior to pre-season testing, Alfa Romeo painted the car in a "snake skin" livery before reverting to its competition livery. On May 15, a special logo was added to celebrate Sauber Motorsport's 50th anniversary. For the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, the car featured an Italian flag with "Welcome back Imola" text and the automaker's 110th anniversary logo on the engine cover. The Turkish Grand Prix marked the 500th Grand Prix entry by a team run by the Sauber Motorsport company.
A modified C39 was used for testing 2022 tire compounds after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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